Search.hfreeliveradio.co Redirect Removal

Martin Beltov

Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.

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The article will help you to remove Search.hfreeliveradio.co effectively. Follow the browser hijacker removal instructions at the end of this article.

A dangerous browser hijacker called Search.hfreeliveradio.co has been found to infect computer users worldwide. The victims report serious security and privacy issues when accessing the malicious service. It is linked with other criminal services that are used to harvest sensitive data from the victims.

Threat Summary

Name	Search.hfreeliveradio.co
Type	Browser Hijacker, PUP
Short Description	Every browser application which is on your computer will get affected. The hijacker can redirect you and show you lots of advertisements.
Symptoms	Browser settings that get changed are the start page, search engine and the new tab page.
Distribution Method	Freeware Installations, Bundled Packages
Detection Tool	See If Your System Has Been Affected by Search.hfreeliveradio.co Download Malware Removal Tool
User Experience	Join Our Forum to Discuss Search.hfreeliveradio.co.

Search.hfreeliveradio.co – Delivery Methods

Users can get infected with the Search.hfreeliveradio.co redirect by falling victim into one of the many distribution options available. Most of them are related to browser hijacker infections. They are malicious extensions made for the most popular web browsers: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge. Once infected with them the victims may find that essential settings have been modified by the malware. Some of the most obvious changes include the default home page, new tabs page and search engine. Other dangers include the following:

• Information Harvesting ‒ The browser hijackers have the ability to extract sensitive information from the web browsers. This includes form data, bookmarks, history, stored account credentials, settings and passwords.
• Additional Malware Infection ‒ In many cases browser hijackers can lead to malicious virus infections as well.
• System Changes ‒ The application can modify essential system settings as well which can cause performance or stability issues.

Search.hfreeliveradio.co infections can also be caused by web scripts and other related malware. Another method involves the use of infected files, popular strategies include documents and software installers. They contain scripts and code that leads to the installation of the Search.hfreeliveradio.co redirect. The documents themselves can be any of the popular office types (rich text documents, spreadsheets or databases) and when they are run built-in macro commands are activated that download the Search.hfreeliveradio.co to the victim computer. Software installers on the other hand can be of different types. The majority of them are hacker-modified applications downloaded from their official sources. They are configured to include the malware code that leads to a successful Search.hfreeliveradio.co infection. Such samples are then spread on fake download portals or P2P networks like BitTorrent where pirate content is usually found. Web scripts, ad networks and other malware can also lead to infections.

Search.hfreeliveradio.co – In-Depth Overview

Once the infection is established on the victim computers the users will find that their browsers are constantly redirected to one of the domains associated with the threat ‒ Search.hfreeliveradio.co or query.hfreeliveradio.co. They feature the same design, a web page that shows a familiar looking interface. The web page is made up of several elements:

• Top Menu Bar ‒ Shows a small search box, links to popular services and the the title of the site “Free Live Radio”.
• Search Engine ‒ The main element of the site shows a search engine box that is placed in the center. Underneath it are placed large buttons to some of the most widely used web sites, along with an option to hide them.
• Bottom Menu ‒ It shows text links that lead to the Privacy policy, terms of use, contact and other related pages.

The aim of the hackers is to manipulate the victims into using the site in any way possible. All interactions are recorded and the fact that most of the redirects are caused by browser hijackers operated by the same operators or their affiliates.

The fact that the website is designed to look like a legitimate search engine or an Internet portal shows that the operators have a malicious intent in this case. We have detected that merely visiting the home page without interacting with any of the links still leads to the delivery of many cookies. As a result every victim is assigned a unique infection ID that tracks the interaction of every user and starts to build a database of all collected data.

We have uncovered that the site is operated by Polarity a well-known company that operates a lot of similar sites. As it is part of a large network we suspect that the site is part of their information collection scheme. If the users use several sites operated by Polarity the hackers will be able to collect more information about them. This is one of the reasons why the search engine relies on a custom Yahoo-powered link.

When the users search for something using the box they will be shown inaccurate results. They may come across several different types of links:

• Polarity Powered Affiliate Sites ‒ The company may opt to place a preference on their own sites. By folowing such links the victims will find themselves in a loop of similar sites that all track their behavior and harvest sensitive data.
• Affiliate Links ‒ Such sites are shown to the users based on a deal made by the site operators and ad networks. The site gains income based on site interaction with these sites.
• Search Engine Sponsored Sites ‒ These site results generate income for the search engine itself.

As you can see best or relevant results are not among the priority list. As a consequence it is possible to infect the victims with dangerous viruses or ransomware by interacting with malicious sites. Hackers frequently utilize such sites to spread new malware samples.

Search.hfreeliveradio.co – Privacy Policy

The privacy policy and the terms are accessible from the bottom navigation menu found on the home page. The privacy policy shows that the Search.hfreeliveradio.co redirect is operated by a Cyprus-based company called Polarity Technologies Ltd.. It is accessible from the footer link and provides a list of the dangers involved. According to the document the potential problems encompass all accessible services – this means that if the victims follow any of the links then they will continue to abide by the policy. Here is a list of the privacy issues as outlined by the document:

• Treaty Acceptance – The user automatically agrees to abide by the terms outlined in the privacy policy at the moment the website and associated services are accessed.
• Data Collection – The company enforces data collection on the Search.hfreeliveradio.co site, both personally-identifiable and anonymous usage. The user consents to the fact that this includes all search queries and recorded information that can lead to the discovery of the victim’s personal data: name, mailing address, telephone number, social security number, driver’s license or other ID. Every visitor is logged with a unique ID. Statistical information includes the type of web browser, resolution, browser settings and other related data. Beware that the site operators also have access to the information regarding the potential geographical location and Internet Service Provider.
• Data Disclosure – The service operators may disclose the collected data to third-party companies, partners and affiliates.
• User Tracking – The users are automatically assigned a tracking cookie which can record all interactions with the service.

The company’s address is listed as the following:

Polarity Technologies LTD
Nora Court, 3rd floor, office 301
Limassol, Cyprus 3040
[email protected]

The same policy is applied to the query.hfreeliveradio.co site as well.

Remove Search.hfreeliveradio.co Effectively

To remove Search.hfreeliveradio.co manually from your computer, follow the step-by-step removal instructions provided below. In case the manual removal does not get rid of the hijacker redirect and its files completely, you should search for and remove any leftovers with an advanced anti-malware tool. Such a program can keep your computer safe in the future.

Note! Your computer system may be affected by Search.hfreeliveradio.co or other threats.
Scan Your PC with SpyHunter
SpyHunter is a powerful malware removal tool designed to help users with in-depth system security analysis, detection and removal of threats such as Search.hfreeliveradio.co.
Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

To remove Search.hfreeliveradio.co follow these steps:

1. Uninstall malicious programs from Windows

OFFER

Manual Removal Usually Takes Time and You Risk Damaging Your Files If Not Careful!

We Recommend To Scan Your PC with SpyHunter

Keep in mind, that SpyHunter’s scanner is only for malware detection. If SpyHunter detects malware on your PC, you will need to purchase SpyHunter’s malware removal tool to remove the malware threats. Read our SpyHunter 5 review. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria

How to Uninstall malicious programs from Windows:

Here is a method in few easy steps that should be able to uninstall most programs. No matter if you are using Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista or XP, those steps will get the job done. Dragging the program or its folder to the recycle bin can be a very bad decision. If you do that, bits and pieces of the program are left behind, and that can lead to unstable work of your PC, errors with the file type associations and other unpleasant activities. The proper way to get a program off your computer is to Uninstall it. To do that:

Hold the Windows Logo Button and “R” on your keyboard. A Pop-up window will appear (fig.1).

In the field type in “appwiz.cpl” and press ENTER (fig.2).

This will open a window with all the programs installed on the PC.
Select the program that you want to remove, and press “Uninstall” (fig.3).

Follow the instructions above and you will successfully uninstall most programs.

2. Clean your Browser and Registry from Search.hfreeliveradio.co

Remove Search.hfreeliveradio.co by cleaning your Browser and Registry.

Remove an extension from Mozilla FirefoxRemove an extension from Google Chrome Remove an extension from Internet Explorer Remove an extension from Microsoft Edge Fix registry entries created by Search.hfreeliveradio.co on your PC.

Start Mozilla Firefox. Open the menu window

Select the “Add-ons” icon from the menu.

Select the unwanted extension and click “Remove“

After the extension is removed, restart Mozilla Firefox by closing it from the red “X” button at the top right corner and start it again.

Start Google Chrome and open the drop menu

Move the cursor over “Tools” and then from the extended menu choose “Extensions“

From the opened “Extensions” menu locate the unwanted extension and click on its “Remove” button.

After the extension is removed, restart Google Chrome by closing it from the red “X” button at the top right corner and start it again.

Start Internet Explorer:

Click on the gear icon labeled ‘Tools’ to open the drop menu and select ‘Manage Add-ons’

In the ‘Manage Add-ons’ window.

Select the extension you want to remove and then click ‘Disable’. A pop-up window will appear to inform you that you are about to disable the selected extension, and some more add-ons might be disabled as well. Leave all the boxes checked, and click ‘Disable’.

After the unwanted extension has been removed, restart Internet Explorer by closing it from the red ‘X’ button located at the top right corner and start it again.

Start Edge

Open the drop menu by clicking on the icon at the top right corner.

From the drop menu select “Extensions”.

Choose the suspected malicious extension you want to remove and then click on the gear icon.

Remove the malicious extension by scrolling down and then clicking on Uninstall.

Some malicious scripts may modify the registry entries on your computer to change different settings. This is why cleaning your Windows Registry Database is recommended. Since the tutorial on how to do this is a bit long and tampering with registries could damage your computer if not done properly you should refer and follow our instructive article about fixing registry entries, especially if you are unexperienced in that area.

IMPORTANT!
Before starting the Automatic Removal below, please boot back into Normal mode, in case you are currently in Safe Mode.
This will enable you to install and use SpyHunter 5 successfully.

Use SpyHunter to scan for malware and unwanted programs

3. Scan for malware and unwanted programs with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool

Scan your PC and Remove Search.hfreeliveradio.co with SpyHunter Anti-Malware Tool and back up your data

1. Install SpyHunter to scan for Search.hfreeliveradio.co and remove them.2. Scan with SpyHunter, Detect and Remove Search.hfreeliveradio.co. Back up your data to secure it from malware in the future.

Step 1: Click on the “Download” button to proceed to SpyHunter’s download page.

Download

Malware Removal Tool

It is recommended to run a scan before purchasing the full version of the software to make sure that the current version of the malware can be detected by SpyHunter. Click on the corresponding links to check SpyHunter’s EULA, Privacy Policy and Threat Assessment Criteria.

Step 2: Guide yourself by the download instructions provided for each browser.

Step 3: After you have installed SpyHunter, wait for it to update automatically.

Step 1: After the update process has finished, click on the ‘Malware/PC Scan’ tab. A new window will appear. Click on ‘Start Scan’.

Step 2: After SpyHunter has finished scanning your PC for any files of the associated threat and found them, you can try to get them removed automatically and permanently by clicking on the ‘Next’ button.

Step 3: If any threats have been removed, it is highly recommended to restart your PC.

Back up your data to secure it against attacks in the future

IMPORTANT! Before reading the Windows backup instructions, we highly recommend to back up your data with a cloud backup solution and insure your files against any type of loss, even from the most severe threats. We recommend you to read more about it and to download SOS Online Backup .

SOS Online Backup

Martin Beltov

Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me:

Martin Beltov

Martin graduated with a degree in Publishing from Sofia University. As a cyber security enthusiast he enjoys writing about the latest threats and mechanisms of intrusion.

More Posts - Website

Follow Me: